As someone who has a passion for establishing open communication about the adult issues impacting the lives of youth and families, I want to share a community’s hopeful response to the opioid epidemic which has touched every family and community in some way.

Last Wednesday I attended a community training on opioid use, addiction and the lifesaving antidote to opioid overdose: naloxone. The event was organized by my friend Shelley Rogers, CCPS, ICPS, Coalition Program Director at Community Recovery Resources. She heads up the Coalition for Auburn and Lincoln Youth (CALY), a youth substance abuse prevention strategy program associated with the Raising Placer collaborative for resilient and healthy youth. The aim of this event is to educate the public about the strategy for curtailing the devastating impact opioid addiction epidemic has on families and communities.

From a public health perspective substance addiction is best understood as a medical condition, like cancer or diabetes and Placer County has embraced a life-saving strategy that responds to drug addiction with medical assistance. Three main initiatives featured in the public health response to opioid addiction include 1) the use of Medication Assisted Treatment for opioid addiction (which involves behavioral therapy and medications to treat addiction disorders), 2) equipping our community with naloxone to revive individuals who have overdosed, and 3) offering guidance to the medical community that includes issuing a prescription of naloxone with every prescription of opioids. The aim is to keep hope alive for those who are in treatment and prevent death in the event of an overdose.

The U.S. Surgeon General, Dr. Jerome Adams, issued a public health advisory on Thursday urging more Americans to carry and learn to use the opioid overdose-reversing drug naloxone.

The U.S. Surgeon General, Dr. Jerome Adams, issued a public health advisory earlier this year urging more Americans to carry and learn to use the opioid overdose-reversing drug naloxone. And consider this. Young people are not the only ones at risk. In a 60 Minutes special last Sunday on the opioid epidemic, it was reported that in Utah, it is a 50-year old woman who is most likely to die from an overdose.

For the typical family, below are some safety measures you can take:

If you or a loved one is prescribed opioids, be sure to follow prescription directions and lock up the medication. Keep medications out of the hands of youth: Check out: SaferLock

If your doctor prescribes an opioid, request a prescription for naloxone and keep it handy in the event of an overdose.

According to health officials, the naloxone is safe. You cannot overdose with it and if it is administered to someone who is not using an opioid, it is not harmful.

If you suspect a loved one is addicted to opioids, listen to your gut. Consult with an addiction treatment expert to learn more. Contact me for a list of local service providers.

To learn more about having conversations with youth about drug and alcohol use in their peer communities, go to Raising Placer.

(Disclosure: I currently serve as the chair of the Coalition for Placer Youth, Rocklin, and am a founding member of the Coalition for Placer Youth which has grown into Raising Placer).

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About: We are a non-profit education center founded in Roseville, CA to strengthen the parent-child bond in a hyper-connected world. Our mission is to restore families with the mustard seed of faith that declares liberty already belongs to the soul because one God, the Creator of all humanity, grants every human being intelligence and free will to choose what to believe, and that is power that can never be taken, but is easily surrendered to the bully, the drug or the device. To that end, ten percent of all proceeds are donated to prison ministries. Your donations are greatly appreciated. (Donations are payable to Banana Moments Foundation).

Joanna Jullien is an author, educator and consultant on strengthening the parent-child relationship in a cyber-powered world. She is a former technology executive trained in behavioral science at U.C. Berkeley, a mother of two grown sons, and an author of books for practical guidance on parenting, growing up and family life in the network culture. As a family and technology culture advisor, Joanna has appeared on 103.9FM The Fish, 710AM Keeping Faith in America, 1380AM The Answer, and Examiner.com.

About Joanna Jullien

Joanna and her husband have raised two sons in Roseville, CA. She has a degree from U.C. Berkeley in Social Anthropology (corporate culture). Her honors thesis was awarded the Kroeber Prize and funding from National Science Foundation.